Screw starting attachment for screw drivers



June 5, 1951 F. l.. HERTIG 2,555,444

SCREEN STARTING ATTACHMENT FOR SCREW DRIVERS Filednay 7, 194e INVENTR. FMPQZYWL. Her??? Patented June 5, 1951 SCREW STARTING ATTACHMENT FOR SCREW DRIVERS Franklin L. Hertig, Weatherly, Pa.

Application May 7, 1948, Serial No. 25,660

1 Claim.

This invention relates to screw drivers, and more particularly to a screw starting attachment for screw drivers.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved attachment which will t most standard screw drivers and which will provide a quick means for punching a starting hole so that the starting of a screw will be facilitated.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved screw starting attachment for screw drivers which involves only a few parts, is easy to operate, and which serves as a punch for making a screw starting hole whereby the process of starting a screw is greatly simplified.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claim and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a standard screw driver equipped with a screw starting device constructed in accordance with the present invention, said device being shown in inoperative position.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the screw driver of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the blade of the screw driver of Figure 1, showing the screw starting device in operative position thereon.

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the structure of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a rear elevational view of the structure of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of the upper end of the device.

Referring to the drawings, II designates a conventional screw driver having a shank I2 formed with the usual wedge tip I3. Designated at I4 is a nat resilient arm formed with a sharp tapered tip or prong I5 at its lower end, said prong I5 having outwardly projecting inwardly curved side projections I6, I6 at its upper portion, said projections being angled upwardly to define upwardly facing notches I1, as shown in Figure 2. Arm I4 has outwardly extending inwardly curved side wings I8, I8 at the margins of its upper portion and a vertically extending tab portion I9 between said side wings. Said tab portion has an inclined top margin formed with a rib 2l). The upper portion of arm I4 is outward- 1y offset with respect to tab portion I9, dening with rib 2l] a seat 22 in which is positioned a Aresilient helical gripping band 2 I, said band being adapted to yieldably clamp the tab I9 to the shank I2 of the screw driver. Arm I4 is arched outwardly at its intermediate portion and the prong I5 frictionally engages the screw driver shank I2, so that the device may be normally frictionally held in an inoperative position on the upper portion of shank I2, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

When a screw is to be started, the device is moved downwardly on the screw drive shank I2 until the spurs I6, I6 snap past the wedge tip I3, whereby said tip I3 engages in the notches I'I, as shown in Figures 3 and 5. The point I5 may then be driven into the surface of the member receiving the screw by applying downward force and torsion on the screw driver handle, whereby a screw starting hole is formed by point I5. After the hole has been thus formed, the arm. I3 is flexed outwardly, disengaging tip I3 from the notches I'I and allowing the arm to be moved upwardly on shank I2 to the normal inoperative position shown in Figures 1 and 2. The screw is placed in the starting hole and the screw driver is then employed in the usual manner to drive the screw.

One complete turn of the screw driver will ordinarily be suicient to form the required screw starting hole.

While a specific embodiment of a screw starting attachment for screw drivers has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modiiications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as dened by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A screw starting attachment for screw drivers comprising an outwardly bo-wed arm of resilient metal formed at its lower end with a downwardly tapered sharpened point and provided with laterally spaced outwardly projecting side spurs adjacent said point, said spurs being located to engage the outer corners of the tip of a screwdriver and being angled upwardly to dene a pair of upwardly facing notches in which the tip of a screw driver is adapted to seat, the upper end of said arm being formed with lateral outwardly projecting inwardly curved side wings and with an intermediate upwardly extending tab member, said tab member beingformed at its top margin with an inclined rib dening a seat with respect to the main body of the arm, and a helical resilient band positioned in said seat and formed and arranged to clampingly embrace the shank of a screw driver and frictionally secure the arm thereto.

FRANKLIN L. HERTIG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 384,043 Kiblinger June 5, 1888 1,764,504 Bronk June 17, 1930 1,843,135 Kuhlman Feb. 2,. 1932 

